National Cancer Center, Graduate School of Cancer Science and Policy, 323, Ilsan-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi-do, 10408, Korea.
National Cancer Center, National Cancer Control Institute, Goyang, Gyeonggi-do, Korea.
Sci Rep. 2022 Jul 5;12(1):11380. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-15778-3.
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic significantly declined cancer screening rates worldwide. Its impact on the South Korean population is unclear, depending on socioeconomic status (SES), residence, and history of chronic disease. This study utilized data (2018-2020) from the Korean National Cancer Screening Survey, an annual cross-sectional study employing nationally representative random sampling. Cancer screening rates were defined as the proportion of the eligible population who received respective cancer screening within the last 1 year and investigated four major cancers (stomach, colorectal, breast, and cervical). Screening rates every year were compared with screening rate ratios (SRRs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Between 2019 and 2020, screening rates declined significantly by 23%, 17%, 12%, and 8% for colorectal cancer (SRR 0.77; 95% CI 0.73-0.82), stomach cancer (SRR 0.83; 95% CI 0.79-0.87), breast cancer (SRR 0.88; 95% CI 0.82-0.93), and cervical cancer (SRR 0.92; 95% CI 0.87-0.97), respectively. Regardless of cancer type, screening was significantly lower in metropolitan residents, those with higher SES, and, interestingly, those without a history of chronic diseases. The significant decline in cancer screening during the pandemic requires urgent political intervention to reduce the burden of future cancer incidence and mortality.
冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行导致全球癌症筛查率显著下降。其对韩国人口的影响尚不清楚，这取决于社会经济地位（SES）、居住地和慢性病史。本研究利用了韩国国家癌症筛查调查（2018-2020 年）的数据，该调查是一项采用全国代表性随机抽样的年度横断面研究。癌症筛查率被定义为在过去 1 年内接受相应癌症筛查的合格人群比例，并调查了四种主要癌症（胃癌、结直肠癌、乳腺癌和宫颈癌）。每年的筛查率与筛查率比（SRR）及其相应的 95%置信区间（CI）进行了比较。2019 年至 2020 年，结直肠癌（SRR 0.77；95%CI 0.73-0.82）、胃癌（SRR 0.83；95%CI 0.79-0.87）、乳腺癌（SRR 0.88；95%CI 0.82-0.93）和宫颈癌（SRR 0.92；95%CI 0.87-0.97）的筛查率分别显著下降了 23%、17%、12%和 8%。无论癌症类型如何，大都市居民、SES 较高者以及有趣的是，没有慢性病史者的筛查率均明显较低。大流行期间癌症筛查的显著下降需要紧急的政治干预，以减轻未来癌症发病率和死亡率的负担。
